Recap: Kamen Rider Ghost, Episode 23 – "Your butt's gonna get wet!"

Recap: Kamen Rider Ghost, Episode 23 – Possessed! The Giant Eyecon!

Javert has arrived back on Earth

Onari and Akari excitedly look at their new business cards while Cubi happily paints.

An anxious Takeru walks in and asks Cubi if there’s a way to close the connection between Earth and the Ganma World. Cubi’s not really sure. But that’s not the answer Takeru wants to hear. He shakes Cubi and Akari tries to stop him. Takeru turns to her asks Akari what her precious science is doing to help. Onari asks Takeru to calm down, but Takeru won’t have any of this. He heads down to the lab.

Grampa Sennin and Yurusen are marveling at the big Eyecon. Takeru asks Grampa Sennin if he knows anything about it, but Gramps says nope. Takeru asks about the capsule people, but Gramps reminds Takeru that his priority should be to collect the 15 Eyecons.

Takeru realizes he’ll get another wish if he gets the 15, so he runs out. Grampa Sennin thinks fear has taken over Takeru.

Alain is sulking by the water when a smiley Makoto brings him some food to repay him. Makoto says Alain must be feeling the need for food by now, but Alain doesn’t immediately take it.

Takeru asks them for their Eyecons, which together, makes 15. Makoto has no problem with that. But when Takeru explains what he’s going to use them for, Alain protests.

Takeru tells them about seeing the capsule people. Makoto starts to explain, but Alain says them’s his people. They have eternal life and their bodies are preserved indefinitely.

Takeru says he saw one disintegrate, but Alain doesn’t believe it.

Javert arrives and announces Alain’s execution. The new Emperor has concluded that Alain is not needed for the perfect world.

Javert is looking forward to finally fighting Alain. He henshins to Ultima.

The three motion to henshin as well, but Takeru stops himself. Alain and Makoto henshin and take on Javert who can disintegrate their weapons and everything around them with just a touch.

Makoto calls for Takeru to henshin, but Takeru says Ganma don’t deserve to be saved. Makoto reminds Takeru that it was him to wanted to connect with the Ganma. But Takeru says he can still get his wish with the 15 Eyecons.

Just then, the Eyecons fly out of Takeru’s cloak and back to the lab where they settle. Grampa Sennin says the situation has turned dire quick thanks to Takeru being a fool.

Javert has Alain by the neck, but Makoto goes Houdini and whisks him away.

Takeru sits on the rocks by the water. Yurusen pops in and warns him he’ll get his butt wet by sitting here.

But Takeru isn’t in the mood to play around with Yurusen who gets the hint and poofs away.

Makoto sets Alain down, but Alain tells him not to expect a thank you. Before Alain walks away, Makoto says that he believes in him. Alain walks away and Onari and Akari find Makoto

Over in the G World, Edith tells Adel that he has his full cooperation in attaining Adonis’ perfect goals. But Adel says he is not needed. Edith replies that there is much he knows that Adel does not.

Edith excuses himself. Aria tells Adel that Edith cannot be trusted as he was their father’s right hand. But Adel questions whether Aria, his own sister, can be trusted either.

Kanon is with Gramma Fumi enjoying some takoyaki when Alain walks by.

Gramma Fumi happily thinks this is a date and asks if they enjoy spending time together. Alain takes this as mockery. But Gramma Fumi tells Alain to be honest about his feelings and to trust his heart.

Alain remembers his father telling him pretty much the same thing. He had always thought a heart was pointless.

Gramma Fumi gives Alain some takoyaki which he is able to enjoy for the first time.

Javert pops up and Alain tells Kanon to take Gramma Fumi and run.

Akari, Onari and Makoto find Takeru. They want to help, but Takeru seems to have given up hope. He tells them about the Eyecons leaving maybe because he’s not good enough.

Makoto reminds Takeru that he always says he believes in himself. But Takeru says it’s no use to connect with the Luminaries if the Ganma will just keep coming. He’s giving up.

“I’m disappointed in you!” Makoto punches Takeru who falls into the water.

Kanon comes running to tell them about Alain and Javert.

Makoto tells Takeru it’s time to go, but Takeru just stays there with his butt wet. Makoto runs off, but Akari and Onari go to pick Takeru up.

Makoto henshins and tries to help Alain who can’t use his Eyecons and is getting beat bad by Javert.

The others have just arrived. Akari pushes Takeru and tells him to take a good look at what’s going on. Javert forces Alain to dehenshin and kicks him down the hill. As Javert readies a big fireball, Alain wonders if this is where he dies.

Javert fires and Makoto hurries over to shield Alain.

Makoto has dehenshined. Alain calls him a fool. Makoto says he promised to protect him.

“Why would you go to such lengths when I’m barely able to protect myself…”

Makoto says it’s alright. He will keep Alain’s hopes alive. Alain does not understand these tears.

Makoto turns back into an Eyecon and disintegrates. Kanon collapses.

Takeru says there is a lot he does not know. He was afraid. But he won’t be anymore. He henshins.

Javert leaves Alain and takes on Takeru. Javert uses his weapons-to-dust power and Takeru goes Boost. But still, Javert is too much to handle.

Takeru says he does not know what kind of justice they practice in the G World. But he will understand it one day. Thanks to Akari and Onari, he learned that they can overcome anything if they work together. That’s what it means to be human.

Back at the lab, the Luminaries pop out of their Eyecons.

Takeru vows to make this a world he and his friends can be happy in. Javert knocks him away and forces him to dehenshin. But Takeru stands firm. Even if he dies here today, his soul will live on.

The Luminaries all decide they will entrust the future into Takeru’s hands. They fly out with Musashi taking the jumbo Eyecon.

Javert is ready to deliver a final blow, but the Luminaries arrive just in time. They enter the jumbo Eyecon and give themselves to Takeru.

Takeru plops it on his waist and he henshins to Grateful.

Yurusen (next to Grampa Sennin) excitedly watches.

Adel is in the prayer room and sees one of the large floating slabs fall into the floor eye. Seems like there’s more to this prayer room than he thought.

The slab appears on Earth and somehow powers up Javert’s Ultima form.

Takeru charges up and all the Luminaries pop out to help deliver a Grateful Omega Drive to quickly finish off Javert knock Javert back to size, that is, dehenshin. Javert runs away.

Takeru also dehenshins and the Sanzo and Grimm Eyecons fly over to Alain. He wonders why they would return to him.

Takeru rejoins Akari and Onari and thanks them. He turns to Kanon and vows to get Makoto-niichan back.

Episode Thoughts

I enjoyed this episode. Lots of things going on and some nice answers. But I feel like I should have LOVED it. It felt like it should’ve been that kind of episode. Especially before the annual Spring Break crossover. (Which is now part of the episode count, therefore in continuity, it seems.)

I feel like it maybe should’ve been bigger and more dramatic. It almost came off as just another toy intro episode (this time, Grateful Damashii) even though we got some nice story development.

While we’re still not sure exactly what Alain is, we do know that he’s at least somewhat human being all hungry and able to eat. And also mortal since he was afraid to die, now that he’s back(?) in his physical body. That’s the opposite of Makoto whose body is still in the Ganma World so he can shield his best friend as many times as he wants, I guess.

I’ve mentioned how I wanted to see Kanon be naive to what the Ganma World really is or what actually went on there. (Alain himself is apparently unaware too.)

She seemed beside herself when Makoto seemingly sacrificed his life. I’m not sure if that was “OMG ONIICHAN IS DEAD!” or “OMG Oniichan is back in the Ganma World again. Ugh.” I don’t remember if during all that brooding by Makoto and telling Kanon that he had to go back was it obvious that she knew he was just an Eyecon and his real body was in a capsule?

Takeru feeling helpless and hopeless was alright. I understand it was supposed to continue from his emotions in last episode. But the Luminaries bailing on him didn’t have much impact though. Maybe it didn’t even make too much sense. They’ve already allowed him to use them. So why would him feeling frustrated or scared about not getting any answers cause them to all go sulk in the lab? Which in turn causes Takeru to go sulk and get his butt wet. (That was a legit hilariously random line from Yurusen.)

I liked Makoto punching Takeru into the water to try and get him to wake up from his self-loathing. But I think maybe they needed more time to really flesh that out instead of just showing that first scene of confronting Cubi and snapping at Onari and Akari. I felt his anger last episode, but I didn’t feel the progression this episode that got him to the point of considering actually giving up.

Elsewhere, using Gramma Fumi to support Alain’s (and Kanon’s) character arc is great. And I do enjoy Akari and Onari regularly doing everything they can to help Takeru, no matter how dangerous.

So overall, I enjoyed it. But I also feel like it should’ve been bigger than it initially felt to me.

Okay, IU really think they should have done the whole “connecting with the Heroes/Luminaries” plot right from the beginning, instead of the “gotta catch them all” stuff we got in the early episodes. That would have fleshed out Takeru’s relationship with the heroic eyecons in preparation for this.

Also, it seems that Alain getting the Necrom eyecon was supposed to be a bigger plot point, but they kinda forgot that

Still, I like how the episode isn’t just your obligatory new toy powerup introduction. Unlike, say the introduction of Drive Type Formula or even Drive Type Tridoron, this one actually managed to advance the plot more. Particularly with that question of what the hell those Pillars in Adonis’ prayer room really are.

I guess so, but then again he had to find them first before he could befriend them. Though by letting him use them, we should assume they’re fine with him already. So that whole thing I guess could’ve been executed better to lead up to Grateful. Nothing too bad though.